Mozambican civil society organisations yesterday called for punitive measures for people who exploiting children for labour, warning that more and more children are victims of this practice.

“More and more children are involved in child labour of the most varied forms and types, limiting their rightful access to education, health and healthy growth,” the organisations said in a statement released today.

The group is composed of the Civil Society Forum for the Rights of the Child (ROSC), Children’s Network, the Hlayiseka Association, the Kanimabo Association, Santac and the Child Fund.

Official figures indicate that Mozambique has about one million children aged 7 to 17 years working in various sectors.

“Child labour in Mozambique is one of the main causes for the weak exercise of the children’s rights embodied in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Child Well -Being,” the group notes.

In addition to recommending that the government lay down punitive measures for people who use child labour, the NGOs say that the government should increase monitoring of industry and commerce to ensure that the rights of the child are respected.

“There are few programmes aiming to eliminate child labour or offering alternatives for families who survive on this practice, especially in rural areas,” the organisations concluded.

Mozambique ratified Conventions 138 and 182 of the International Labour Organisation, which stipulate 15 as the minimum age recommended for the employment of children, in 2003.

Mozambican labour law stipulates that an employer may only employ a minor who has reached the age of 15 years old, and only upon the authorisation of his legal representative.